In reality, the village's
location made it an easy target for Indian raids. It was one of several
land grant arrangements engineered by the state of Texas in which empresarios,
such as Count Henri Castro, brought in settlers to create what were, in
effect, "buffers." Both Forts Inge and Lincoln were positioned
to help protect the settlers, but soldiers also had the critical task of
protecting the Lower Road from San Antonio to El Paso. In spite of continued
violence, settlers in Castroville and nearby D'Hannis, Vandenburg, and Quihi
persevered, and the towns survive today.